Survey research has been known and used extensively in the past as a means of social inquiry. By asking questions and recording responses society has learned much about its own political and social attitudes, consumer preferences, population characteristics, employment levels, agricultural production, and a wide range of other topics. While such surveys are very useful, the data collected typically are far from perfect. One particular shortcoming has more recently become apparent. The shortcoming is that while conventional survey research practice is well adapted to reveal the opinions of representative samples of respondents, such practices provide little or no data on the processes by which respondents arrive at their opinions. Consequently it is extremely difficult to determine on the basis of traditional methods whether the response is based on an actual attitude or whether it is fabricated on the spot for the purpose of providing an answer. In the former case, it is common to think of the attitude as being pre-integrated and crystallized and thus quite stable, whereas in the latter case the response represents an improvisation which is susceptible to change.
What is desired is an improved method and apparatus for conducting surveys which provides data which can be used to predict more accurately the degree of crystallization of a person's attitudes. Such a method and apparatus would preferably be useful in association with telephone surveys of the type in which a trained surveyor poses questions to a respondent based on a menu of questions provided by a computer program. Also, preferably such a method and apparatus would be transparent from the perspective of the respondent.